Tag: Holy Angels

Who is Raguel?

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If you ever come and visit my parish, you may notice the following icon on the iconostasis:

When people visit my church and notice this icon, they often ask me who this is. Raguel is an angel which is not named in the canonical writings of the Bible. He is, however, spoken of in the non-canonical work, the Book of Enoch.

“And these are the names of the Holy Angels who keep watch. Uriel, one of the Holy Angels; namely the Holy Angel of the Spirits of Men. Raguel, one of the Holy Angels; who takes vengeance on the world, and on the lights. Michael, one of the Holy Angels, namely the one put in charge of the best part of humankind, in charge of the nation. Saraqael, one of the Holy Angels; who is in charge of the spirits of men who cause the spirits to sin. Gabriel, one of the Holy Angels, who is in charge of the Serpents, and the Garden, and the Cherubim.

Book of Enoch, Chapter 23

His name means “Friend of God” and is often referred to as the archangel of justice, fairness, harmony, vengeance and redemption.

It might seem strange to some that we render an icon of a character in a non-canonical book, but if the Epistle of Jude can refer to that non-canonical work and still remain Scripture, why not?

Do icons get chilly?

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When people visit my Byzantine parish, one question they often ask is: “Why do some of the icons have scarfs on?”

This scarf is an adornment which is simply a sign of devotion.

As far as I can tell, it began with the Kyivan Rus’ and Ukrainian Christians have continued to do so ever since. It appears to have links to the Holy Protection of the Mother of God

Word of Life Conference in San Diego

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If you’re in the San Diego area in November, you should come out to my parish, Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church in San Diego, as we will be hosting “The Word of Life” Biblical conference. 

Our speaker will be Fr. Deacon Daniel Dozier. I’ve heard him speak at a previous event in Phoenix, Arizona and I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. 

The conference will run from 10:30am – 4:30pm. Registration is by donation, with a suggested donation of $25. You can register here.

Roman Catholics Say The Darndest Things: Part 2

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A few days ago I began responding to the common reactions I hear when a Roman-Rite Catholic visits an Eastern-Rite parish for the first time. Last time I covered numbers 1-10 and today I’m going to finish the list with numbers 11-20 for “Roman Catholics Say The Dardnest Things”:

11. “What are the circles on sticks being carried around?”
These are called “rapidia” (or “flabella”). They are carried by altar servers in the Gospel procession and again when the bread and wine are brought to the altar. On them are pictures of angels. Symbolically, they remind us that our earthly liturgy touches Heaven.

ripidion

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Roman Catholics Say The Darndest Things

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As I mentioned a few days ago, I have issued an open invitation to my friends to come with me to a Byzantine parish on Saturday, 29th June to celebrate the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (if you’d like to come, just let me know).

I have already written quite a bit about the byzantine tradition and about my first visit to this parish, but I thought I’d put together a couple of short posts identifying some of the liturgical differences which may be encountered by my Roman Rite friends while on their visit at the end of the month.

I’ll finish the list in a few days, but here are numbers 1-10 for Roman Catholics Say The Darndest Things:

1. “Why does the outside of the building look so weird? Is it a mosque?!”
Eastern and western churches have different architectural styles, so expect to see domes rather than a spire.

Outside Holy Angels

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I believe and profess

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Today I got to take another of my friends to the Byzantine Liturgy for the first time. As I’ve said before, I think that every Western Catholic should visit an Eastern Rite parish at least once, in order to gain an understanding of the variety within Catholicism.

One of the most obvious differences between the Byzantine Liturgy and a typical Western Mass is that, in the Byzantine Liturgy, almost everything is sung. I find it interesting, therefore, that one of the parts of the liturgy most commented upon by visitors is one of the few parts of the service which isn’t sung. The part I’m referring to is the prayer which is said by the congregation prior to communion:

O Lord, I believe and profess that you are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of your mystical supper, O Son of God; for I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to you: Remember me, O Lord, when you shall come into your kingdom. Remember me, O Master, when you shall come into your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when you shall come into your kingdom. May the partaking of your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.

O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly your most precious Body and your life-giving Blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.

I really do love this prayer. It’s so well designed to prepare us to receive the Eucharist. We put our faith in Lord. We trust in His great mercy. We acknowledge the seriousness of what we are about about to partake: the body, blood, soul a divinity of Jesus Christ.

Catholic Family Tree

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Last Thursday I celebrated the Feast of Theophany at Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Parish with four of my Roman Rite friends. While we were there I attempted to explain how all the different rites of the Catholic Church relate to one another. I don’t think I did a very good job at explaining it, so I’m going to have another go now…

The Church began in Jerusalem (Acts 2) and, over time, major Christian centres developed in the cities of Rome, Antioch and Alexandria. It was from these cities that the major rites of the Church developed. This can be seen more clearly from the following diagram I found on a friend’s Facebook page:

Catholic Rites

The Second Vatican Council had this to say concerning the different rites of the Church:

“[In] faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity, and that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way”

– Sacrosanctum Concilium

So, although the Catholic Church is one Church, it is also a communion of Churches.